Chemoresistance is currently the main cause of failure in the treatment of cancer which, despite extensive research, remains unsolved. In this report the theoretical assumptions underlying antiangiogenic therapy are described and future perspectives and limits are discussed.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Modified splitting technique for liver transplantation in adult-sized recipients. Technique and preliminary results.

In the common split liver technique the liver is divided between the right lobe, to be transplanted to an adult, and the left lateral segment, to be transplanted to a small child. We have developed an alternative technique by which the cadaver donor liver is divided in its two anatomo-functional halves, both apt to be transplanted to adults or children of adult size. We have so far used this technique in three multi organ donors, generating, six liver grafts that we transplanted to six recipients with median age of 36.5 years (range 10-23) and a median weight of 55 kg (range 38-79). Patient survival was 83.3% and graft survival 66.6% with a median follow up of 10 months (range 8-14). These results show that the technique is effective and that it can consistently increase the number of liver grafts that can be transplanted into adult patients, with the available cadaver donor pool.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia or Christ-Siemens-Touraine syndrome. A case report].

A case of anhydrotic dysplasia is reported. The history of the syndrome is reviewed and the possibility of identifying carriers of the gene that causes it discussed.

Ectodermal Dysplasia↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A rare case of pancreatic lipoma.

During CT scanning, a pancreatic lipoma was diagnosed in a 70 year-old woman presenting with abdominal pain, elevated amylase and abnormal liver function tests. The patient underwent surgical excision of the lipoma located in the head of the pancreas. The postoperative course was uneventful. This is the third case of pancreatic lipoma described in the literature. It is a very rare neoplasm that should be included in the category of "non-ductal" tumors of the pancreas. The role of different diagnostic tools for the differential diagnosis of ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma is discussed.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Tetrahydrobiopterin and inherited hyperphenylalaninemias.

Tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency, a variant of hyperphenylalaninemia, may be caused by deficiency of one of the following enzymes: guanosine triphosphate cyclohydrolase 1,6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin synthase, dihydropteridin reductase and pterin-4a-carbinolamine dehydratase. The first two enzymes are involved in the biosynthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin, the last two in its regeneration. Although these diseases are rare, early detection by selective screening is essential for the treatment and outcome. Tetrahydrobiopterin deficiencies are very heterogenous ranging from mild forms requiring only marginal if any treatment to severe forms which are in some cases very difficult to treat. All variants of tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency can be differentiated from the classical phenylketonuria (PKU) by measurement of pterin metabolites in patients' urine, tetrahydrobiopterin loading test, and by dihydropteridine reductase activity in erythrocytes from the Guthrie card.

Biopterins↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Catheter seeding of hepatocellular carcinoma following placement of a total implantable access port system.

A 61-year-old cirrhotic patient underwent hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma and placement of a total implantable access port system in the hepatic artery for chemotherapy infusion. A year later, he developed a parietal metastasis at the port site as a consequence of tumor seeding along the arterial catheter. The metastasis was excised but the patient died because of disseminated disease two years after the first operation. Tumor seeding along the catheter should be included in the group of potential complications after placement of total implantable access port systems for intrahepatic chemotherapy The possible causes of this rare but life-threatening complication are discussed.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Decreased DTH response to recall antigens in mice injected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected U937 cells and infected with Candida albicans.

In previous studies, we have reported that the intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of HIV-1 infected human U937 cells into normal mice resulted in long-term persistence of anti-HIV antibodies and in a small percentage (10-20%) of HIV-1 infected animals at 6-12 months after the injection. The study reported here was undertaken to detect T immune defects in U937-HIV-1-injected mice. Eight months after the initial injection, a marked decrease in DTH response against U937 cells was detected in HIV injected animals. In addition, a consistent decrease in DTH response against a soluble mannoprotein antigen of Candida albicans cell wall (MP-F2) was also observed in U937-HIV-1-injected mice, chronically infected with low-virulent strain of the fungus. No decreases in DTH response was observed in control-injected animals. These data indicate that U937-HIV-1-injected mice become unable to mount a normal antigen-specific immune response. Although the mechanisms involved in the generation of these T cell defects remain unclear, these events appear to be somehow related to the HIV-1 infection and should be considered in the current studies of HIV-1 infection with transgenic mice.

Animals↗